A peek at life

This is a scene from yesterday as we drove to Arthur, Illinois...

I put other, different photos of these over on my other blog...this Amish buggy is heavily cropped.

Someone I know is expecting a baby and I was hoping to get ideas for a baby quilt but had no success.   I was hoping to find a fabric to build one around.  The quilt shop I go to is for sale and though they get in  new fabrics they have a lot of empty spaces that used to be filled with fabric.  I so wish someone would buy it and keep it going strong.

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I made a few more 4-patches day before yesterday...I keep thinking I am going to get back to sewing a little bit every day but it just does not happen.

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I went out this afternoon and planted some bulbs I had picked up a few weeks ago...I took time to photograph a couple cottonwood leaves.

I hope the bulbs live...I could not decide where to plant them so just found some space and stuck them in the ground.  I did use a shovel some and was able to handle it fine.  I had not used one since I broke my leg...it felt completely normal.  In fact, I think it would probably be good for me to use one a lot.

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On the reading front, I just finished listening to my one book, A Land More Kind than Home this evening while fixing supper and started listening to the Wesley the Owl one...I did not get to listen very long, but have done learned one fact.  It said that Barn owls are monogomous, and sometimes when their mate dies, they sort of lose the will to live and will die of grief.

I also started reading All-American Murder:  The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murders' Row by James Patterson.  I tend to read true crime books every now and then.  I have no idea why.  I don't want a steady diet of them...just one or two here and there.

Do you ever...

Lorelei went to spend some time with her favorite aunt.  Delta loves her, but right now she is wanting her attention, wanting a skittle I believe.  What is funny, when Lorelei is around, Delta stays by her.  I don't know if it held true this time, but she usually stays by her till she gets up.  I told my daughter, Delta would go bonkers over a baby.

When we are there, she barks at people walking by....but I feel like I can tell a difference in her bark when this one woman walks by with her baby in a stroller.
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Do you ever have a day you have so much to say, but no time to say it in?  Then when you get time, you can't get in the mood to say anything...nor remember what all you wanted to talk about before.

The other day was one of those days when I was busy.  I cannot remember what all I did...the one thing was a file cabinet came that I had ordered from Amazon.  When I opened it, several pieces had bent edges...talk about disheartening.  I did contact the seller right away.  At first I was seriously thinking I would return it.  Partly because of all the 'damage' and partly because the instructions were not good... all on one page back and front.  They would have been fine if the sketches were not so small, but was so hard to see.  And it was only sketches...no words.  Which photos are what I need anyway...but they were such a struggle to see...I just had to guess at the details.

I ended up leaving a piece out....thankfully it was unimportant to me and did not bother me, but would have been bad if I was planning on locking it.  That part was all bent and kinked around...not sure how good I would have been at getting it back in shape to use anyway. 

So, the vendor had contacted me and asked if I wanted to return or replace it.  I had mulled it over in my mind, and thought I would just see if I could make it work.  So I told him we were going to work with what we had...but I did send him pics...the next day  he gave me a 20% discount on it.  Which was nice...he didn't have to.

Yesterday and today, I have been about worthless as a human being.  Other than light cooking and dishes, I did not accomplish two cents worth of anything.  Maybe a load or two of clothes.

I did get the checkbook balanced the other night, but that is not much of a job.  But it is one I do not like to let ride, and our bank is updating or redoing things and I was about two weeks late getting the statement.  I think I am one of the few people that actually go to the trouble of doing that, but I have had a bank make a fairly big mistake before so have just always set down and actually balance it since then.
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I have been reading a bit off and on.

I finished The Far Family by Wilma Dykeman...it is a stand alone book but has characters from The Tall Woman.

I also read Grass of the Earth by Aagot Raaen one more time.  It is one of those books that I have a hard copy, and also one on my kindle.  I never remove it from my kindle.

Right now I am ready Small Town by Gloria Sarasin....it was a freebie.  It has been a pretty good read so far.

I just spent time looking at the library.  Right now I am listening to A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash...but I want something to look forward to once it is done.  One I got that I think will be next is Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacy O'Brien.  It just sounds like a good light but heartwarming book to listen to.

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I was real surprised to wake up and look out and see a light frost this morning.  I don't know why, but I sure did not expect it.  I had finally turned the AC off last night, and this afternoon I had to kick the heat on and let the furnace run two or three times just to take the chill off.  I turned it off again for now.

I best get off here...got to do a couple little jobs before bed....I hope you are having a nice weekend...

While waiting...

Here it is after 5:00 and they are here doing the guttering...so going to be a while before they are done.  They were here yesterday and today taking care of the roof.  The one sunken down place did not have anything under it.  So they peeled it back and put wood under it.  Also replaced some shingles around the exhaust pipe of the furnace....it looks a lot better but they are not all laying down...I am hoping with heat that they will.  They at least look like that is a possibility.  After the way things have been done, I fear I will never trust anyone again with things like this.  They did come back and fix the drip edge......again, hoping the other shingles lay down good with warmth from the sun.

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I made these 4-patches yesterday....the first I had sewn in several days.  I wish I could get back to sewing some every day.

And I have made more of these 'leaves' or whatever you want to call them.  It is about time to cut squares and start to applique.  I did these several days ago over a couple or three nights....

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A blogging friend posted a photo of a maple leaf that was completely white....I don't think I have ever seen one completely white.  But my memory is not so good at times.  But when walking out one morn, I notice all kinds of leaves in my yard turned white...we were leaving at the time so I did not take time to photograph them.

About 3 days later, maybe 4, when I did think to go back and look, all I saw were these Tulip Poplar leaves ...but still you can see how white.  I think it is mold/fungus.

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That is it for now...I have more to say but too tired to type it.  Is that lazy or what?

I hope you guys are having a good week...